The South African government's Operation Phakisa - or 'hurry up' - initiative is designed to help fast-track the implementation of the National Development Plan, a key driver of change to address poverty, unemployment and inequality.

SRK Consulting's Cape Town office has undertaken environmental authorisation and permitting processes for various Operation Phakisa projects, and a few of the successes and challenges in implementing these projects are highlighted below.

An important aspect of Operation Phakisa is the Oceans Economy Lab, launched in 2014 to eccelerate the process of unlocking the economic potential of South Africa's oceans. Government hopes the Ocean Economy could contribute up to R177 billion to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and create over one million jobs by 2033. It is therefore viewed as a high priority.